Chairman Royce Visits Typhoon-ravaged Tacloban Area

MANILA (Mabuhay) – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, visited and assured continued U.S. humanitarian support for the people of Tacloban, the Philippine city devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Nov. 8. This is Chairman Royce’s second visit to the Philippines in the past year. He is leading a bipartisan delegation of eight Members of Congress.

Accompanied by Mayor Alfred Romualdez during the visit to the city and surrounding areas, Chairman Royce visited U.S. and international-funded aid projects for residents, many of whom had their homes completely destroyed.

At a rice distribution site, Chairman Royce and the delegation were briefed on aid efforts by representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which along with the World Food Program (WFP) and Samaritan’s Purse are distributing food aid to those in need.

Chairman Royce and the delegation also visited a USAID shelter and settlement site, at which aid organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and PLAN International are constructing low-cost housing to shelter many of the six million people displaced by the typhoon, with 26,000 remaining in evacuation centers. The typhoon killed more than 6,000 people; nearly 2,000 remain missing.

To date, the United States has provided $86 million in typhoon aid to the Philippines.

Chairman Royce said: “Today I witnessed first-hand the incredible strength and resilience of the human spirit in Tacloban. While the magnitude of the devastation is staggering, it is clear that the good people of Tacloban are on the path toward rebuilding anew. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am committed to helping the people of the Philippines during this difficult time. The American people share many common values with the people of the Philippines and it was an honor to visit with so many of the brave people of Tacloban.” (MNS)